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I always find the debate of rather or not being transgendered make one mentally ill to be very interesting.
So often, people who want to shield trans people from the label of 'mental ill,' I always find their comments rather condescending, specifically to trans people.
Often, when someone calls a trans person mentally ill, the defenders will show up and ask why this person is against their civil rights or against their personhood. Which I find odd. Do they consider having PTSD to make someone less deserving of civil rights? Should those suffering with depression be viewed as less human?
Of course not.
I'm not a psychologist. If those who are say it's not a mental illness, I have no choice but to agree with that. However, I do still have agency, and my first inclination is to consider trans gender to be the result of mental illness. This inclination is somewhat aided by the whispers of political pressure within the psychological community pressuring them to declassify certain things as mental illness for less than ethical reasons.
Now, those are still just whispers. Maybe it's not a mental disorder. But if it is, I still want trans people to live a comfortable life. To be clear, I do not believe you can change your gender. I also do not believe that society should place any sort of limitation, outside that of biological limitations, on someone for the sex. Being a man, possible an effeminate one, should not cause you to lose out on the privileges of being an American or a person. Nor should being a woman, of course. And at the end of the day, if a man requests that I refer to them as she, I will respect their wishes, but I will not truly believe they are a woman. I sympathize with their suffering and would never treat them as less than a person. In the same way, I wouldn't consider anyone else suffering to be their suffering.
I think that in general, most people who are labeling transgender people as being mentally ill aren't doing it for altruistic reasons, because these comments usually come along with insults. I suppose it's possible to believe that fitting into the norms of society is important, and think that the best possible solution for transgender people is to help them live as their biological sex while treating them with respect, dignity, and helping them through the challenges that they'll undoubtedly face. Personally, I don't think that's a good solution, but I understand some people may feel that way. But even if we did that, I think it comes from a sociological perspective and not a psychological one.
I also agree that saying "transgenderism is a mental illness" brings a negative stigma upon actual mental illnesses. People with depression, PTSD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc., also deserve to be treated with kindness and dignity.
You can be a weirdo without being a nut case. Let them have their delusions or fantasizes or whatever. They're weird. As far as bathrooms they go in the one for their sex, not their fantasy.
The official definition of a mental disorder is something that affects one's mental functioning. According to the DSM-5 (website citation)
For transgender individuals, living an authentic life and expressing their gender identities in ways they see fit will alleviate any "significant disturbances" in their lives. They will only experience "disturbances" as the result of not fitting into society and others marginalizing them for who they are. If others treat transgender people with kindness, respect, and authenticity, they will not suffer the associated issues. For actual mental disorders - and there is nothing wrong with having a mental disorder by the way - such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, this is not the case.
I know some of you strongly believe in a gender binary determined by chromosomes and physical characteristics that in turn determine expected behavior of individuals. Maybe you believe that anybody who deviates from this should have interventions to bring non-conformists back to what's "normal" for society. Maybe you don't like the idea of transgenderism, or numerous other statuses and viewpoints. But even if you don't like it, transgenderism, homosexuality, liberalism, conservatism, or supporting Trump are not mental disorders.
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